How exactly is this for the gamers?
Now that Fortnite is out for the Switch, everyone is all happy and ready play on the go. Right? Well, not exactly. There’s a little hitch if you’ve already played Fortnite on the PlayStation 4 that is causing a bit of an issue If you’ve already linked your Fortnite account to a PlayStation 4, then you can’t use that account on the Switch. Yes, this is a bit of a bummer.
No, this isn’t a Nintendo issue or even an Epic Games issue. Sony is the one to blame for this snafu. Due to their decision of not allowing cross-platform play with certain systems, they’re keeping your account hostage. For lack of a better word. Meaning all your cool stuff and your levels are not going to be transferable. The only way you’ll be able to play is to set up a new account.
But it gets worse. If you attempt to unlink your account, nasty stuff happens to your account. Your purchases and content will be reset, your game progression gets reset, your profile gets reset. And to make matters even worse, unlinking the account WILL NOT remove the platform restrictions. Meaning you’re stuck regardless no matter what you do.
Now, before you say “It’s the same on Xbox”, it isn’t. I was able to use my Fortnite account (ok, my son’s account) to play on both the Xbox One and Switch. It’s only if your account is linked to the PlayStation 4 is when you run into this issue. As it stands, if you’re linked to the PS4, then you use that account to play on the PS4/PC/iOS and Android. If you’ve linked it to an Xbox One or Switch, then the only platform you can’t use your account or play against is the PS4.
Now, I can understand that Sony wants to keep their ecosystem away from other platforms. I get it, they don’t want anyone else in their sandbox. But stopping people from using their accounts elsewhere, especially when they have progression and content on those accounts. That’s a really bad look for Sony. Could this backfire for the company? Well, it could, but it hasn’t stopped them yet and I don’t see Sony easing up on this anytime soon. But they really should.
For the gamers? How is this for the gamers, Sony?
